As we watch the horror unfolding in New York and Washington D.C. on our
TV screens it's a good time to take a look at history and learn from it.
I say this because history has some very important lessons to teach us
about situations like this.

The first lesson is don't overreact by taking military actions that might
have horrendous consequences in the near future. This may be the most
important lesson of all as the Austro-Hungarian Empire learned all too
well during World War I. In 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which ruled
much of Central Europe, was outraged at a terrorist attack. A Serbian
nationalist fanatic shot and killed the beloved heir to the Austrian Throne,
the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, in the streets of Sarajevo.
Evidence linking the attack to the secret service of the small neighboring
kingdom of Serbia soon surfaced.

Austria retaliated to this outrage by invading Serbia. This invasion
triggered World War I, because Serbia's ally Russia, rushed to that nation's
defense. Austria called in its ally, Germany, and Russia her ally, France.
To get at France, Germany invaded Belgium and drew the British Empire
into the conflict. One of the worst blood baths in human history had begun
and as a consequence of that war, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed
completely. Had Austria shown some restraint and not sought vengeance
for the murder of the Archduke, World War I and all of its horrible consequences
could have been avoided and millions of men would not have needed to die
in horrific combat.

This is a lesson well worth remembering. Any military action we take
in retaliation for these horrible attacks in New York and Washington is
going to have consequences in the future. It could very well shape our
world: a world that we, our children and our grandchildren will have to
live in and we should think about that.

During World War I, many Americans, including President Woodrow Wilson
and some congressional leaders were outraged by the behavior of Imperial
Germany and its Kaiser Wilhelm II. German submarines sank unarmed civilian
ships, such as the liner Lusitania, including some with Americans onboard
and some American-flagged vessels. German saboteurs set off bombs in the
United States destroying munitions plants and other targets, killing innocent
Americans in the process. German soldiers committed some atrocities in
the occupied nation of Belgium. Some German superpatriots talked of attacking
the United States in alliance with Mexico.

In response to these provocations, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration
of war. America sent a large army to France, which was instrumental in
the defeat of Imperial Germany. A defeat that led to the collapse of the
Imperial government and the abdication of Wilhelm II. A defeat followed
by various efforts to punish Germany for war crimes real and imagined.
American propagandists trumpeted America's victory as making "the
World Safe For Democracy" and peace was restored.

Unfortunately, the peace existed only in the minds of the propagandists.
A defeated Germany proved a perfect breeding ground for extremist political
movements. Within 15 years of America's "victory" the most dangerous
and fanatical of German political leaders, Adolph Hitler, was absolute
dictator of Germany. Within twenty years of America's "victory,"
World War II had broken out in Europe, having been launched by Hitler.

By defeating the Kaiser and destroying his German Empire, Woodrow Wilson
and the patriots of 1917 only succeeded in clearing the way for Adolph
Hitler and making another war inevitable. As a number of observers, including
Winston Churchill, pointed out, had America not overreacted to German
actions and declared war in 1917, the exhausted British and French would
have been forced to end the war and sign a peace treaty with Germany.
This wouldn't have resulted in a perfect situation in Europe, but it would
have been better than what happened after 1918.

Imperial Germany was, contrary to the lies of Woodrow Wilson's propaganda
machine, probably as "democratic" as America's 1917 allies Britain
and France. Imperial Germany had an elected national legislature and well-organized
political parties. And far from being a blood thirsty tyrant, Wilhelm
II, was a weak constitutional monarch, and in person, a harmless eccentric,
who actually wanted peace and opposed the war. An equitable settlement
between the warring powers in 1917 was highly probable. More importantly,
a strong German Empire wouldn't have fallen prey to Hitler and his Nazis,
there might have been no World War II and no Holocaust. The deaths of
millions could have been avoided. At the same time the German Empire would
have been strong enough to keep the militaristic Communist dictatorship
in Soviet Russia in check without American help.

The consequences of America's blind quest for vengeance in 1917, were
another World War, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in
two needless conflicts and the necessity of posting American troops in
Europe. Because of Wilson's blind actions in 1917, American troops are
still stationed in Europe to this day.

We should keep historical events like these mind as we view the carnage
on TV screens and hear the hysterical name calling and finger pointing
from the politicians, anchormen and self proclaimed experts sitting in
the TV studios. And remember that any action we take now because of these
events could have horrible unforeseen consequences in the future. For
the last thing we want to do is compound the needless deaths of thousands
in this horrible terrorist attack with even more needless deaths in the
future.

Daniel J. Jennings is a former newspaper editor now working as a free-lance
writer in Denver, Colorado.